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Salvage trailers are a popular choice when you need to tow or transport a vehicle. However, they are also a specialist trailer that requires some extra knowledge to ensure you load and transport your vehicle safely. At Hirepool, we have a wide range of trailers available for hire, so you can confidently tackle any kind of towing job. However, it’s important that you know everything there is to know about using a salvage trailer safely.
In this guide, we’ll cover off every essential piece of information about using a salvage trailer. That way, you’ll be able to get your load from A to B without a hitch, and there will be no injuries along the way.
Let’s get started!
Low Stock Call First
High Demand Product: We suggest making a booking for this item in advance.
Low Stock Call First
High Demand Product: We suggest making a booking for this item in advance.
Low Stock Call First
High Demand Product: We suggest making a booking for this item in advance.
As we’ve already discussed, Hirepool has a wide variety of trailers to choose from. This includes our ever-popular salvage trailer. The trailer car/ salvage tandem axle up to 4.2m x 2.0m is perfect for not only recovering and transporting vehicles, but it can also be used for transporting heavy equipment. The specifications for this salvage trailer are as follows:
|
Internal length |
3.8 m - 4.2 m |
|
Internal width |
1.8 m - 1.96 m |
|
Internal height |
250mm |
|
Max load |
1600kg - 1900kg |
|
Tare weight |
600kg - 900kg |
|
GVM |
2500kg |
|
Braked or unbraked |
Braked |
|
Total length |
Up to 6.4m |
|
Total width |
2.49m |
|
Number of axles |
2 |
|
Salvage |
Various configurations available to tilt and winch |
Top tip: This particular trailer is classed as a high demand product. This means that it’s best to make a booking in advance to avoid missing out. You can either book online or phone call 0800 15 15 15 to be put through to your local Hirepool branch.
Before you load a vehicle onto the salvage trailer, you need to hitch the trailer to your towing vehicle. Where applicable, apply wheel chocks to keep the vehicle level and positioned where you want it. When connecting to your tow vehicle, follow these simple steps:
You may also find it useful to watch our ‘How to Hitch and Unhitch a trailer' video to follow a visual step by step.
You’ll need to ensure the vehicle you will be towing with has suitable towing capacity for the load you plan to carry. To find your vehicle's towing capacity, check your vehicle handbook, on your tow bar, or the NZTA website. Check out our handy guide on calculating your towing capacity for more helpful tips.
When travelling with a trailer on New Zealand roads, you’re not allowed to travel faster than 90km/hr. If you’re towing a trailer with no suspension, you shouldn’t go faster than 50km. Other rules that you need to follow include:
There are lots of online resources with legal requirements when towing a trailer, otherwise, read our ultimate guide to towing a trailer in New Zealand.
Lower the ramps from the safety storage position rear stabiliser. To do this, push the metal pin in towards the ramps to release. Be sure to hold on to the safety ramps as you release them to ensure they don’t hit anything as they are lowered.
Lower the rear stabilisers to a comfortable height by twisting the lever and pulling out to drop the stabilisers.
Remove the lock from the front of the trailer to allow the bed to tip. You may need to assist the bed tipping by putting your weight on the bottom of the trailer. Tipping the bed will ensure the weight of the vehicle you’re loading will not raise the front of the salvage trailer while loading.
If possible, adjust the position of the wheels of the vehicle (that you are loading) to line up with the ramps.
Slowly and carefully drive the car up the ramp and onto the trailer slowly. In some cases, the vehicle may not be drivable, in which case you might need to use a winch. Simply secure the winch hook to the anchor point of the car and wind up slowly. Keep in mind the cargo should be loaded with around 60% of its weight in the front half of the trailer.
Safety tip: If you've got a helper during this process, make sure they're keeping a safe distance from you and the trailer.
Once loaded, put your vehicle to be towed into ‘park' and engage the parking brake. Next, secure the vehicle onto the trailer with the appropriate straps, chains or other tensioning devices. When secure, return the ramps to their original storage position, then re-lock the bed and remove the wheel chocks from underneath the trailer. When it comes to securing your load, we have a wide variety of helpful products to buy or hire at Hirepool, including:
You have legal obligations when it comes to safely securing a trailer load. NZTA has a lot of helpful online recourses that are good to read over to familiarise yourself. Remember, these guidelines and restrictions are not only to keep you safe but other road users.
When you're ready to unload your salvage trailer, ensure you have parked on a firm, level surface. Make sure you chock the wheels of your trailer to prevent movement and undo the chains or strapping devices. Lower the rear stabilisers, and then remove the ramps from their safety storage position. Unlock the bed of the trailer, and then slowly back the loaded vehicle down the ramp.
If you need to reverse your salvage trailer, you’ll need to be extra careful to avoid jackknifing or crashing. If you can, use a spotter, adjust your mirrors so that you can see the rear of the trailer, take your time and don’t be afraid to try more than once. For a more comprehensive guide on reversing trailers, including a salvage trailer, read our how to reverse a trailer guide.
So there you have it, that’s how to safely load and transport a vehicle using a salvage trailer. Given that you perhaps wouldn’t use a salvage trailer all year round, it makes sense to hire one to avoid a large upfront cost. When you hire a trailer from Hirepool, you can be confident that it has been regularly serviced and will be up to the task. If you’d like more information, our friendly Hirepool staff will be happy to answer any of your questions. View our extensive range of trailers online, including furniture trailers, tandem axle trailers, caged trailers, chiller trailers and of course, salvage trailers. You can easily book through our website and then pick it up from your nearest Hirepool branch.
When it comes time to pick up your salvage trailer from Hirepool, be sure to have some form of ID on you. Our helpful team will also take the time to demonstrate how best to use the trailer, so it’s a good idea to leave aside some time for this. That way, you’ll be able to use your salvage trailer safely and effectively. For more handy trailer tips, read our ultimate guide to towing a trailer in New Zealand or everything you should know about hiring a trailer. It’s worth noting that one way trailer hires are only available in between branches in the same city.
Low Stock Call First
High Demand Product: We suggest making a booking for this item in advance.
Low Stock Call First
High Demand Product: We suggest making a booking for this item in advance.
